Frequently Asked Questions

Feel Free To Ask Us

What does the price of a trip include?The price of each tour is all-inclusive. This includes exclusive birding services with Greg Homel and his expert birding guides; all meals (including tips) and transfers (air, overland, water) mentioned in the itinerary; accommodation in the specified hotels or similar ones (based on double occupancy); and those charter and/or scheduled flights between points specified within the itinerary.

For those who are traveling alone, there is a supplemental charge if they cannot or do not wish to be assigned a roommate for lodging. Please inquire.

What isn’t included in the price of a trip?Not included are international airport taxes and flights, visas, extra services/alcoholic beverages/meals that aren’t mentioned in the itinerary, and emergency medical services.

What will I need to bring?Because each trip is different, Greg will e-mail you a personalized packing list detailing particular clothing and other items you should bring to make your trip comfortable and enjoyable. He will also recommend appropriate field guides and suggest optics (binoculars, photographic equipment) that you will want to have with you to maximize your opportunities to view and photograph the wildlife you’ll be encountering.

Some wildlife might be too far away! Is a spotting scope provided?
Yes! Although our goal is to bring you as close as safely and ethically possible to wildlife, sometimes a little extra help might be needed. At those times, Greg provides a Kowa Prominar 883 High Definition Fluorite Spotting Scope.

These itineraries are very detailed. Do they ever vary from what we read on the website?To give you the best natural encounters possible, all programs are potentially subject to some change, based on daily conditions and information from our local guides and other contacts. We plan our itineraries a year or more in advance, but nature keeps its own minute-by-minute schedule. Natural Encounters Birding Tours adapts to take you to the adventure!

How many other people will there be with me on a tour?
Ordinarily there are no more than six participants on each trip, so that everyone can equally enjoy the personal service that Greg and his staff provide.

How can I pay for my tour?
We offer three means of payment for your convenience. E-mail us stating which tour you would like to join. We will confirm whether space is available and send you an invoice with a link to our secure credit card payment site. You may also choose to pay by check or electronic funds transfer. We ask for an initial payment of at least 25% of the stated cost of your selected trip, per person, to hold your reservation. See our Join a Tour page and our printable reservation form for further details.

Something has happened and I have to cancel. Can I get a refund?
Any deposits or payments you have made are completely refundable if cancellation occurs more than 60 days before the tour departs.

Most of these locations are really remote! What will the food be like?
No matter where in the world Natural Encounters goes, that question can be answered in one word: delicious! We’ve found that food is the most important part of any trip–after wildlife, of course. The hotels and lodges we choose prepare excellent meals using local ingredients, frequently even better than you will encounter in high-class restaurants in the United States, and eating on the road is often even more fun. What can be better than beef in Brazil, ceviche on the shores of the Caribbean, or green papaya salad made with papayas plucked straight from the tree in Thailand?

Even months after a trip, clients will rave to us about the local cuisine they had to leave behind and can’t wait to get back to–unless they’re ready for someplace new to experience what else the world has to offer. A Natural Encounters wildlife tour is a superb way to get a literal “taste of life” in another country that leaves you hungry for more!

There is a place in the world whose wildlife I’ve always wanted to see, but it’s not on your calendar. Can you guide me there anyway?
It would be Greg’s pleasure! Greg has been traveling the world for wildlife for more than 25 years. Personal bespoke tours to virtually anywhere can be tailored to suit your wildest wilderness dreams.